Eldritch Horror Theatre

As long as one knew how to observe, the bizarre nature of the world could be found in even the most mundane of lives.

At first glance, the situation before him seemed like a simple case of walking into the wrong room.

But throw three lost Night Watchers into the mix, and things suddenly became fascinating.

Considering the principle of majority rule, even if the person behind the desk was a leading authority in medicine, she probably needed to reexamine her own perception of reality.

Given the current situation, either the Night Watchers had the wrong information regarding Rick’s office, or the Old Lady’s belief about her own office was completely false.

Naturally, Fu Qian leaned toward the latter.

The reason he didn’t factor his own judgment into the equation was simple: he had only come here because he eavesdropped on the three Night Watchers’ conversation.

Many apparent coincidences were actually meticulous designs.

”I walked into the wrong room...”

Prompted by Fu Qian’s gentle reminder, coupled with the arrival of three intimidating strangers, the Old Lady managed to force herself out of her daze despite her advanced age. After scanning the room for a few seconds, she jolted in shock.”How did I end up here... no wonder it felt so dirty.”

Standing up with surprising agility, she wore a sour expression but still offered a stiff apology.

”I apologize. I was too engrossed in my reading and didn’t realize I walked into the wrong room.”

”This was indeed Rick’s office. After he resigned, we occasionally started storing things in here. Did you all need him for something?”

”You all...”

They clearly had no intention of bickering with an old woman, but in that instant, the three Night Watchers—already frowning at Fu Qian’s earlier remark—shot him razor-sharp glares.

The guy who had stormed in and righteously interrogated the room actually shared the exact same goal as them.

With this realization, they quickly took note of the highly suspicious individual’s appearance and attire.

”Who are you?”

The atmosphere instantly froze. As the leader of the trio asked the question, he subtly shifted into a combat stance.

...

Were the elderly really the most energetic people these days?

Facing their interrogation, Fu Qian ignored the trio completely. Instead, he looked at the stubbornly poised Old Lady and sighed inwardly.

Just like the two people asking for directions earlier, he could confirm she showed no trace of deceit.

In other words, the Old Lady genuinely had been so absorbed in her reading that she mistook this place for her own office and wandered in unconsciously.

Her response to his arrival had been an entirely innocent mistake, just like the Old Man who had pointed the way for him earlier.

And that was precisely where things got bizarre.

Two innocent mistakes, yet they achieved a terrifyingly consistent underlying result: keeping him far away from any traces of Rick.

In fact, compared to the young people who had blocked his path earlier, this was noticeably more malicious in nature.

What made them so energetic at their advanced age?

The underlying reason was certainly food for thought.

”Answer the question.”

The three Night Watchers clearly lacked the patience to let him muse. One of them directly drew a weapon, pointing it at Fu Qian with a cold command.

Looking for Rick’s former office at a time like this went far beyond being merely suspicious.

Furthermore, this guy’s appearance somewhat matched the description in their briefing—

”No need to be so polite. A pleasure to meet you.”

The next moment, the Night Watchers’ solemn train of thought was abruptly derailed.

The profoundly mysterious figure had actually pulled a business card from his pocket, smoothly extending it toward them.

...

This self-introduction... isn’t this a little too professional?

Given the tense atmosphere, the scene unfolding before them was entirely surreal.

For a moment, even the Night Watchers looked just as bewildered as the Old Lady who had walked into the wrong room.

However, they were still elites wielding supernatural powers. After a brief moment of shock, the leading Night Watcher maintained his imposing aura and reached out to take the card.

Unfortunately, the moment he read the name, his body jolted as if he’d been electrocuted—in fact, actual electric arcs sparked across his hand.

A surge of subconscious power quite rudely incinerated the card bearing Grimshaw’s name into a pile of ash.

”Get out.”

Having revealed his transcendent side, he fixed a death glare on Fu Qian and spat out a single command.

Naturally, this command was directed at the Old Lady.

The terrifyingly powerful mystery man from their briefing had actually chosen the exact same destination. To appear so brazenly right in front of them—he was arrogant to the extreme!

Though he certainly had the strength to back up that arrogance.

Even at such a close distance, they couldn’t sense anything about him that felt different from an ordinary human.

If he were to change his face and hide his presence, sniffing him out would be nearly impossible.

Even now that they had found him, figuring out what to do next was equally difficult.

...

”The situation is quite dangerous. Neither they nor I harbor good intentions, so it’s best you keep your distance to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.”

Amidst the sudden tension, Fu Qian, the focal point of everyone’s gaze, offered a slight nod. He then turned to the Old Lady—who was still standing frozen despite the Night Watcher’s warning—and gently explained the situation to her.

The Old Lady, seemingly terrified by the drawn weapons and sparking electricity, simply stood there in a dazed stupor.

”Don’t even think about taking a hostage. You should know the Night Watchers’ protocols.”

Unfortunately, the first to react to Fu Qian’s words was the Night Watcher trio.

The implication behind their warning was crystal clear.

Given the Night Watchers’ mandate to protect ordinary citizens, some clever rogue Transcendents inevitably resorted to hostage-taking when backed into a corner.

To aggressively curb this terrible habit, the Night Watchers maintained an exceptionally ruthless stance: they refused all forms of negotiation.

Any civilian casualties that occurred during their Chastisement would be squarely blamed on the kidnappers and their accomplices.

Consequently, anyone with half a brain quickly learned that taking a hostage was tantamount to suicide.

”It was merely a friendly reminder.”

Completely unbothered that his goodwill had been misunderstood, Fu Qian offered a casual explanation. With a snap of his fingers, he activated Lucid Dream.

...

”Don’t you dare!”

Although it seemed like nothing more than a provocative gesture, the highly strung Night Watchers were clearly in no mood to accept his simple explanation.

True to the fearsome reputation of the Night Watchers, they struck instantly. A long whip forged of crackling electricity, the cold gleam of a short blade, and a dazzling burst of gunfire immediately engulfed the spot where Fu Qian had been standing.

Unfortunately for them, the assault yielded zero results. In the blink of an eye, the space was already empty.

”Get out of here!”

He was indeed coming and going like a ghost, just as the rumors claimed, but the three Night Watchers weren’t discouraged by their missed attacks.

One of them immediately grabbed the Old Lady’s arm, motioning for her to use this opening to escape.

Yet, in the next second, something even more bizarre occurred. The panicked hostage’s figure rapidly vanished right before their eyes, just like Grimshaw had.

Meanwhile, in a reality completely invisible to the Night Watchers, the Old Lady swung her arm—and a massive claw tore viciously through Fu Qian’s fading afterimage.